Monday June 20th, 2022

The exercise:

Write about something that is: blue.

3 comments:

Greg said...

So the announcement at work has happened and I can tell you too: the company is closing down and we're liquidating it. So the next three to six months (however long it takes) will be spent closing down websites, getting rid of contracts and suppliers, terminating people and winding the company down. Most people will be gone after two months, but the legal side of things mean I'll be required to stay to the end, and whatever I sign last will be whatever concludes the company's business. It's going to be a novelty for me, though perhaps not exactly a happy one.

So blue doesn't seem too inappropriate today, actually :-D

Blue
Fabian opened the door to the third-floor meeting room -- Cass had given it a proper name, but it was the only one the Museum had on the third-floor so no-one had bothered to learn the name she gave it -- and turned the lights on. Behind him Dread carefully left the door slightly ajar and then picked a seat. The table was rectangular and Dread almost took the seat at the head, and then took a seat along one of the long sides instead. The walls and chairs were all blue, and Fabian's memory nudged him that Cass had picked some synonym of blue as the meeting room's name... cerulean perhaps, or depressed maybe? Now he thought about it, maybe it was more allusive... Gershwin?
"Probably best if you take the head of the table," said Dread as he sat down.
"Hah," said Fabian. "No chance; the Maestro will take the opposite seat and somehow contrive to make me look like I'm sat at the foot of the table." He sat down next to Dread.
"It bothers you?" asked Dread, looking sideways at him.

Greg said...

"A little," said Fabian. It felt a tiny bit shameful to say that out loud. "I mean, it shouldn't. He's been here longer than me, he knows much more about the exhibits and items we have, he's practically an avatar of the Museum... but I can't help but wonder if it would kill him to be a little more respectful of the title I have when other people are around. Just... be supportive, I suppose."
"Hmm," said Dread thoughtfully. "Less of an issue in the Navy; rank is all important for the lower ranks and we all enforce it strictly. Upper ranks... there are a few who like to pull rank, but it gets complicated as soon as you add in the side-disciplines like magic. And if they're really difficult I just arrange for a skeleton patrol to keep them awake all night until they give in."
"Can I borrow a few skeletons?" asked Fabian, and they were still chuckling when Rystin entered. His eyes widened and he hesitated at the door, one hand reaching for his tablet, probably to check if he had the right meeting room.
Fabian waved him to a seat opposite them both. "Come in, you're in the right place."
Rystin's gaze darted between Dread and Fabian, his eyes never quite stopping, conveying his concern eloquently.
"There's one more guest," said Fabian, who'd never worked out what to call the attendees of meetings. 'Attendees' seemed too formal, and 'friends' would be an outright lie in most cases; 'guests' was his default for all it made it seem like this was some kind of party. Or maybe a wake.
"Me," said the Maestro closing the door behind him and looking at the other three. "I know all of you, and I must say I never expected to be invited to a meeting with just the three of you. What mischief are you up, elf?"
"Sit, please," said Fabian, who felt he at least knew how to run a meeting and manage the participants. "Rystin is up to nothing, Maestro. We rather think someone else is, and that's why we've asked you all here today."
"The Assessors," said Dread. "Or Auditors, depending on which side of the Imperial Bureaucracy you're on. We have a pretty good idea that they'd like to steal the Staff of Five Elements."
The look of shock on Rystin's face was, Fabian knew, because he never thought Dread would say that out loud to anyone else. The look of outrage on the Maestro's face was, he thought, because the idea of stealing from the Museum was anathema to him.

Marc said...

Greg - oh man, that is big news. So when all is said and done, do you have an idea of what you'll do next?

Oh boy, right to it, huh? I look forward to watching the dynamics between this group of four play out.